5 Ways To Easily Navigate The Mental Health Care System In 2021 (2 of 2)

Be Patient

We know that the words “stay calm” don’t help at all for those suffering from mental illnesses, but the whole idea of this point is to stay calm and be patient. You’ll likely find plenty of help through the two routes mentioned above, however the therapist might not be the best fit for you. Or maybe they’ll make things worse.

Whatever the case may be, it’s important that you exercise some patience. Just because the first few sessions didn’t really work well for you isn’t enough of an excuse to give up. Unless that person is absolutely horrible, stick with them for just a little bit.

And remember if you are feeling overwhelmed, you don’t need to wait until the next therapy session to offload it. There is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) and the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990 or texting TalkWithUs to 66746) that can help as well. They’re quick band-aid fixes to the whole issue and should be leveraged if necessary.

Fill Your Social Media With Self-Care

While social media isn’t entirely part of the mental health care system, there is no denying that social media is connected to our overall mental wellbeing to some extent. Social media has been linked to depression time and again after all and part of the issue comes down to the posts that are being delivered to us.

The good thing with social media though is the fact that we can change our social media diet to some extent. If you find your feed draining you, finding a therapist helps, but also looking for different content entirely does as well. Devote some time to searching up officials in the mental health space or even look for motivating or inspiring content to flood your various feeds with. It can do you a lot of good.

Spend Time With Friends And Family

The last option to consider is spending time with friends and family. As much as we struggle with our own mental health, sometimes we forget that other people close to us are in the same situation.

Even though you are no therapist, talking to family and friends about mental health and asking how their mental being is doing can help. It can encourage them to speak up about their own problems and you could share this post with them or better yet – help them navigate through this whole process of finding a therapist.

That aside, talking with friends and family can provide relief for you, since you’ll be confiding in other people you are familiar with. It’ll allow you to be more vulnerable and be able to talk things out.